Community Magazine May 2013

About five years ago, HaKeter Institute, with the blessings of Maran the Rishon Letzivon, Harav Ovadya Yosef, shalit”a embarked on a monumental project to translate the thirty volumes of Yalkut Yosef into English. This new English edition is meant to provide both rabbinical students and laymen with a comprehensive reference guide of practical halachic decisions covering all issues of daily, Shabbat and Holiday concerns. In order to ensure that this historic set would be the best it could be, HaKeter Institute decided to revise the Hebrew text as well, bringing it up to date and including many halakhot from the original Shulhan Arukh that have not yet been part of the Yalkut Yosef series. Under the leadership of Rabbi Yisrael Bitan, the scholarly and dedicated staff of Machon HaKeter painstakingly worked to include all the halakhot that are found in the books that Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, shalit”a has authored since the original Yalkut Yosef was created. HaKeter Institute has the unique privilege of questioning Harav Ovadya Yosef, shalit”a directly to clarify any ambiguities in the halakha T he S aka e ngliSh e diTion TO ORDER YOUR SET OR TO SPONSOR A VOLUME, PLEASE CONTACT: EDMUND SHAMMAH 732-433-0014 YALKUTYOSEFSAKAEDITION@GMAIL.COM a merican F riendS oF h akeTer e xecuTive c ommiTTee a dam a zrak - S Teven a Shear - S Tevie g oldman - m ichael m iSSry - J oey l. m izrahi S oli m izrahi - r aymond S aka - m orriS e. S aSSon 3 v olumeS oF B erakoT c oming S oon ! • P eSah • S eFiraT h a ’o mer / y om T oB /S havuoT • T a ’ aniyoT /T iSh ’ a B e ’a v • y amim n ora ’ im • S ukkoT • S haBBaT 1 • S haBBaT 2 • S haBBaT 3 • h anukkah • P urim y alkuT y oSeF About five years ago, HaKeter Institute, with the blessings of Maran the Rishon Letzivon, Harav Ovadya Yosef, shalit”a embarked on a monumental project to translate the thirty volumes of Yalkut Yosef into English. This new English edition is meant to provide both rabbinical students and laymen with a comprehensive reference guide of practical halachic decisions covering all issues of daily, Shabbat and Holiday concerns. In order to ensure that this historic set would be the best it could be, HaKeter Institute decided to revise the Hebrew text as well, bringing it up to date and including many halakhot from the original Shulhan Arukh that have not yet been part of the Yalkut Yosef series. Under the leadership of Rabbi Yisrael Bitan, the scholarly and dedicated staff of Machon HaKeter painstakingly worked to include all the halakhot that are found in the books that Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, shalit”a has authored since the original Yalkut Yosef was created. HaKeter Institute has the unique privilege of questioning Harav Ovadya Yosef, shalit”a directly to clarify any ambiguities in the halakha T he S aka e ngliSh e diTion TO ORDER YOUR SET OR TO SPONSOR A VOLUM E, PLEASE CONTACT: EDMUND SHAMMAH 732-433-0014 YALKUTYOSEFSAKAEDITION@GMAIL.COM a me rican F riendS oF h akeTer e xecuTive c ommiTT ee a dam a zrak - S Teven a Shear - S Tevie g oldman - m ichael m iSSry - J oey l. m izrahi S oli m izrahi - r aymond S aka - m orriS e. S aSSon 3 v olumeS oF B erakoT c oming S oon ! • P eSah • S eFiraT h a ’o mer / y om T oB /S havuoT • T a ’ aniyoT /T iSh ’ a B e ’a v • y amim n ora ’ im • S ukkoT • S haBBaT 1 • S haBBaT 2 • S haBBaT 3 • h anukkah • P urim About five years ago, HaKeter Institute, with the blessings of Maran the Rishon Letzivon, Harav Ovadya Yosef, shalit”a embarked on a monumental project to translate the thirty volumes of Yalkut Yosef into English. This new English edition is meant to provide both rabbinical students and laymen with a comprehensive reference guide of practical halachic decisions covering all issues of daily, Shabbat and Holiday concerns. In order to ensure that this historic set would be the best it could be, HaKeter Institute decided to revise the Hebrew text as well, bringing it up to date and including many halakhot from the original Shulhan Arukh that have not yet been part of the Yalkut Yosef series. Under the leadership of Rabbi Yisrael Bitan, the scholarly and dedicated staff of Machon HaKeter painstakingly worked to include all the halakhot that are found in the books that Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, shalit”a has authored since the original Yalkut Yosef was created. HaKeter Institute has the unique privilege of questioning Harav Ovadya Yosef, shalit”a directly to clarify any ambiguities in the halakha TO ORDER YOUR SET OR TO SPONSOR A VOLUME, PLEASE CONTACT: EDMUND SHAMMAH 732-433-0014 YALKUTYOSEFSAKAEDITION@GMAIL.COM a merican F riendS oF h akeTer e xecuTive c ommiTTee a dam a zrak - S Teven a Shear - S Tevie g oldman - m ichael m iSSry - J oey l. m izrahi S oli m izrahi - r aymond S aka - m orriS e. S aSSon 3 v olumeS oF B erakoT c oming S oon ! • P eSah • S eFiraT h a ’o mer / y om T oB /S havuoT • T a ’ aniyoT /T iSh ’ a B e ’a v • y amim n ora ’ im • S ukkoT • S haBBaT 1 • S haBBaT 2 • S haBBaT 3 • h anukkah • P urim About five years ago, HaKeter Institute, with the blessings of Maran the Rishon Letzivon, Harav Ovadya Yosef, shalit”a embarked on a monumental project to translate the thirty volumes of Yalkut Yosef into English. This new English edition is meant to provide th rabbinic l students and laymen with a comprehensive r ference guide of pr ctical h lachic dec sions covering all issu s of daily, Shabbat and H liday concerns. In order to ensure that this historic et would be the b st it could be, HaKeter Institute decided to revise th Hebrew text as well, bringing it up to date and including many halakhot from the original Shulhan Arukh that have not yet been part of the Yalkut Yosef series. Under the leadership of Rabbi Yisrael Bitan, the scholarly and dedicated staff of Machon HaKeter painstakingly worked to include all the halakhot that are found in the books that R bbi Ovadia Yosef, sh lit”a has authored sinc the orig al Yal ut Yosef was cr ated. HaKeter Institute has the unique privilege of questioning Harav Ov dy Yosef, shalit”a directly to clarify any mbiguities in the halakha TO ORDER YOUR SE OR TO SPONSOR A VOLUME, PLEA SE CONTACT: EDMUND SHAMMAH 732-433-0014 YALKUTYOSEFSAKAEDITION@GMAIL.COM a merican F riendS oF h akeTer e xecuTive c ommiTTee a dam a zrak - S Teven a Shear - S Tevie g oldman - m ichael m iSSry - J oey l. m izrahi S ol i m izrahi - r aym nd S a - m orriS e. S aSSon 3 v olumeS oF B erakoT c oming S oon ! • P eSah • S eFiraT h a ’o mer / y om T oB /S havuoT • T a ’ aniyoT /T iSh ’ a B e ’a v • y amim n ora ’ im • S ukkoT • S haBBaT 1 • S haBBaT 2 • S haBBaT 3 • h anukkah • P urim About five years ag embarked on a mon meant to provide bot overing all issues o be, HaKeter Institut the original Shulhan Bitan, the scholarly i th books that Ra has the unique privi TO a me a dam a z Blessings for a Restless Night By Rabbi Moshe Mizrahi It’s a real challenge to stay up and study Torah without interruption all night long on Shabu’ot. Fortunately, in our synagogue plenty of hot, stro ng coffee is available through the night, besides other refreshments. I know that I would need several cups of coffee, one at midnight, one at around two in the morning, and one around four o’clock just before shaharit in the hope that I don’t faint from exhaustion while in the middle of the Amida . The question is, how many times do I have to recite the blessing of shehakol nihya bidvaro for these three cups of coffee? Harav Obadya Yosef, shalita , wrote ( Halikhot Olam Vol. II, page 44) that as long as I remain in my seat, it doesn’t matter how much time passes between my first and second cups, or between my second and third cups. The blessing I recite for my first cup will cover the others as well. In the synagogue, I have the status of a gue st. Therefore, my one blessing counts for whatever will be served to me afterward. The time lapse is immaterial, and even if I had no plans to drink another cup of coffee or any other beverage when I recited the blessing, it remains valid and covers whatever I might drink afterward. If I go outside for some fresh air, however, I have then changed my locat ion, causing an abrupt end to my blessing’ s validity. Then, I will need to repeat the blessing for my next cup. This is true even if I knew for sure when I recited the first blessing that I would drink more in the course of the night and that I would go outside and come back. All this appears in Yalkut Yosef Yom Tov English Edition (page 107). On the next page, it states that if someone goes to the restroom during the night, he also must recite a new blessing for his next cup of coffee even though he did not leave the building. In the forthcoming Yalkut Yosef Berakhot , this halakha is corrected. Harav Obadya Y osef changed his mind about this in his Hazon Ovadya , an d ruled that even after going to the restroom one’s original blessing might still be valid. To avoid this halakhic quandary, it is recommended to go outside after using the restroom so that one may recite a new blessing with confidence. Every Jewish home must have a set! A GREAT GIFT: for Bar Mitzvah, Swanee, Wedding, Synagogue, Family, and Friends About five y ars ago, HaKet r Inst tute, with the blessings of Maran th Rish n Letzivo , Harav Ovadya Yosef, shalit”a embarked on a monumental project to translate the thirty volumes of Yalkut Yosef into English. This new English edition is meant to provide both rabbinical students nd laymen with a comprehensive reference guide of practical halachic decisions covering all issues of daily, Shabbat and Holiday conce ns. In order to ensure that this historic set would be the best it could be, HaKeter Institute decided to revise the Hebrew text as well, bringing it up to date and including many halakhot from the original Shulhan Arukh that have not yet been part of the Yalkut Yosef series. Under the leadership of Rabbi Yisrael Bitan, the scholarly and dedicated staff of achon HaKeter painstakingly worked to include all the halakhot that are found in the books that Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, s lit”a has authored since the original Yalkut Yosef was created. HaKeter Institute has the unique priv lege of questio i vadya Yosef, shalit”a direc ly to clarif ny ambiguities in the halakha he aka ngliSh diTion TO ORDER YOUR SET OR TO SPONSOR A VOLUME, PLEASE CONTACT: EDMUND SHAMMAH 732-433-0014 YALKUTYOSEFSAKAEDITION@GMAIL.COM a merican F riendS oF h akeTer e xecuTive c ommiTTee a am a zrak - S Teven a Shear - S Tevie g oldman - m i ha l m iSSry - J oey l. m izrahi S oli m izrahi - r aymond S aka - m orriS e. S aSSon 3 v olumeS oF B erakoT c oming S oon ! • P eSah • S eFiraT h a ’o mer / y om T oB /S havuoT • T a ’ aniyoT /T iSh ’ a B e ’a v • y amim n ora ’ im • S ukkoT • 1 • S haBBaT 2 • S haBBaT 3 • h anukkah • P urim 3 volumes of berakhot coming soon!